


You’re My Light in the Darkness

by BananaChef



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alzheimer's Disease, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asthma, Attending School With Their Rapist, Autism, Depression, Ectopic Pregnancy, F/M, Group Therapy Sessions, Gun Control, Gun Violence, Infertility, Lung Cancer, Mental Health Issues, Newt's Twenty-Two, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Queenie Goldstein, Protective Tina Goldstein, Queenie's Sixteen, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Suicidal Thoughts, Terrorism, Tina's Seventeen Going On Eighteen, imposter syndrome, that actually happened to someone in real life, they got raped and had to see their rapist in school everyday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-18 08:35:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20636231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananaChef/pseuds/BananaChef
Summary: Tina's just starting her first year at Cornell. Newt's starting his fourth. Jacob works as a temp in the NYC branch of the Scamander Law firm. Queenie's starting her Junior year of high school.Fate is cruel. Life is crueler. But they're each other's light in the darkness.DISCONTINUED.





	1. Chapter 1

**Tina Goldstein, Friday, August 9** **th** **, 6:33 PM EST, Ithaca, New York, 2019**

_ What to wear… what to wear… _ seventeen-year-old Tina Goldstein pondered, standing in front of the mirror in her new dorm room at Cornell University. She held up a dress in front of her and turned to her side, biting her lip in concentration. A Freshman orientation party was being thrown that night at seven, and she had yet to figure out what she was wearing. Normally she would’ve simply put on some shorts and a t-shirt, but the dress code was black tie for this specific event. And she couldn’t wear any old dress, it had to be a nice one, so she could make a good impression. If she was especially lucky, which Tina doubted, she could even make some friends.

She sighed and proceeded to put on the dress, and when she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror once more. Smoothing out the wrinkles, she walked into the bathroom to apply make-up, something she didn’t wear a whole lot — normally just to cover the bags under her eyes from stress and lack of sleep, and some lip gloss on occasion. But tonight she was pulling out all the stops; she hardly ever wore a full face of make-up, but it could be fun to wear a red lip with some winged eyeliner, sparkly silver-like eyeshadow, and mascara.

Once she was done with her make-up, Tina got out her straightener and plugged it in, turning it on and taking out her phone to check for notifications. She had a text from her younger sister in NYC and responded. Queenie was still in high school, and was starting her Junior year in September. The sixteen-year-old had decided to go for a Bachelor’s in Business/Commerce/Management with an Associates in Psychology; she planned to open up a fashion boutique. Tina, on the other hand, was at Cornell to get a Master’s in Education with a Bachelor’s in English Studies.

** _Queenie: _ ** _Whatcha up to_

** _Tina: _ ** _getting ready for the freshman orientation party_

** _Tina: _ ** _gonna straighten my hair_

** _Queenie: _ ** _but its good wavy_

** _Tina: _ ** _i need to look polished queen_

** _Tina: _ ** _straight hair completes the look_

** _Tina: _ ** _im wearing the white n black dress w ruffles i bought a couple years ago _

** _Queenie: _ ** _come on_

** _Queenie: _ ** _ what about the blue one we bought_

** _Queenie: _ ** _its ur fav color_

** _Tina: _ ** _gotta get ready now_

** _Tina: _ ** _gonna be late if i dont hurry up_

** _Tina: _ ** _luv u_

** _Queenie: _ ** _luv u 2_

The brown-haired woman set down her phone and picked up the straightener, using it on her short hair to make it a sleek bob that went midway down her neck. After fastening a silver clip into her hair, she grabbed a sparkly grey purse, put her phone and inhaler inside, and walked out the door.

**Newt Scamander, Friday, August 9** **th** **, 6:51 PM EST, Ithaca, New York, 2019**

Newt gripped the steering wheel of his car with both hands, dreading the amount of socializing that was to come. If it were up to him, he would’ve stayed home watching nature documentaries and obsessively taking notes. But he had no choice. He was forced to come to the freshman orientation party (the email he’d received from administration had said “party,” but he’d been when he was a freshman — it was a banquet) as a part of a scholarship he’d been accepted for. He’d signed up for it his Junior year of high school to help pay for tuition, but there hadn’t been anything as bad as _ being forced to attend the freshman orientation party as a mentor _.

The scholarship had mostly included doing odd jobs around the campus, playing assistant to one of the professors for a time, attending events as a volunteer worker, etc. Newt could function around people — he knew that. It was just… he had a limit to the amount of people he was comfortable being around. And the freshman orientation party? Back when he was a freshman, he’d just stuck behind his mentor the whole time, too awkward to talk to anyone. But this time, he _ was _ the mentor; no one to hide behind to avoid social confrontation.

Newt pulled into a parking space, cut the engine, and just sat in his car for a few tense moments, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. _ Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. _ Once he’d calmed down enough, he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of his car, locking it and heading into the banquet hall. He walked up to the campus police at the entrance and took out his ID for them to inspect.

“Welcome, Mr. Scamander. Have a nice evening,” the security guard said, mispronouncing Newt’s last name.

The aspiring Zoologist internally rolled his eyes and took back his ID, walking inside the grand hall filled with long white tables. He searched for his name tag and found himself sitting across from a table setting labeled for Freshman named… Porpentina E. Goldstein. Porpentina… similar to the Archaic word _ porpentine _, which means porcupine. And Goldstein… very Jewish. Ashkenazi Jew if Newt recalled correctly. He’d known a Goldstein growing up, but he didn’t think the two were related by much, if at all. He wondered if Porpentina actively practiced Judaism or not; the Goldstein he’d known had been a devout Jew.

Newt sat down in his seat, his head down as he recited the elements of the periodic table in his head (he was a bit of a chemistry and theoretical science junkie) as he waited for Porpentina to show up. The crowded room was filled with Freshman, Juniors, and Seniors alike, the latter of which Newt was. After a few moments, a woman dressed in a black and white dress sat down across from him. He looked up and offered her a small smile. She was quite pretty, he noted in the back of his mind.

She smiled back, revealing a dimple on the left side a her cheek (her right). “Hi,” she started awkwardly.

“Hello,” Newt responded just as awkwardly, if not more so. He averted his eyes and she did the same.

“Um, I’m Tina. It says Porpentina on the card thingy, but no one calls me that.”

The British man met her gaze again, and responded in kind. “It says Newton on my card, but I prefer Newt. That's what most people call me.”

“Ok. _ Newt _.” She stuck out her hand for him to shake, and after a brief moment of confusion (Newt was woefully inept at reading social cues and understanding people’s emotions), took it.

Suddenly the screeching sound of a malfunctioning microphone echoed through the hall, followed by a charismatic, “Sorry! Sorry!” A woman dressed in a smart, blue pantsuit with toned skin and light blonde hair was standing on a stage that was set up on the far side of the large banquet hall, opposite the large entrance doors. She smiled radiantly out at the crowd of people, who were all rushing to their seats, and waited for them to finish.

“Welcome, Freshmen, to Cornell University! Juniors and Seniors, welcome back for another successful year! Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dean Seraphina Picquery, and I was recently appointed after the previous dean retired after the 2018 - 2019 school year.” She smiled brightly at the crowd, but Newt got the impression that, despite her upbeat demeanor, she was not to be trifled with. “Now, Freshman, the person sitting directly across from you will be your mentor for the entirety of your first year here. I strongly suggest that you establish a method of communication before you leave tonight. Dinner will be served shortly, but before that, a quick PSA for those of you who are twenty-one or older: starting this year, alcoholic beverages _ will _ be served at the afterparty — you all have enough stress in your life, and you’re going to drink whether we offer it or not. It is _ not _ a free for all, however — there _ is _ a limit. And while the refreshments are paid for by the school, you _ must _ have a bartender scan your ID to see if you are eligible for a drink. If you are underage or have reached your limit, the system will notify the bartender. Thank you, and have a wonderful year at Cornell University!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An eventful dinner and start of a beautiful friendship.

**Newt Scamander, Friday, August 9** **th** **, 7:07 PM EST, Ithaca, New York, 2019**

All of the students and faculty present clapped, and some of the more boisterous students yelled and whooped. Food was brought into the hall, and the area was filled with a cacophony of voices, none of them Tina’s or Newt’s. The young woman scooped some mashed potatoes, broccoli with melted cheese on it, and a piece of chicken onto her plate, while the twenty-two-year-old man scooped some salad into a bowl, loading it with a little ranch dressing, and then some pasta with sprinkled Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce onto his plate.

“So, are you a Junior or a Senior?” Tina asked before stabbing some broccoli with her fork.

“Erm, Senior. I turned twenty-two in February,” Newt responded, not looking the woman in the eyes. He twisted some pasta onto a fork and took a bite as Tina nodded.

An awkward silence fell between them despite the constant drone of voices around them. Tina swallowed and cleared her throat.

“What are you majoring in?”

“Zoology,” Newt responded after he swallowed. “I’m a bit of a nerd.”

He mentally facepalmed himself. First off, that was a lie. He’s not  _ a bit of a nerd _ , he’s, like,  _ nerd to the quadrillionth degree! _ And second off, that line was just so bad. Like, how is that remotely good? That’s most certainly  _ not _ how you get friends, acquaintances, or even a lick of respect. 

The young woman smiled, her dimple showing again. “I’m a bit of a nerd as well,” she replied conspiratorially, emphasizing the Britishism of the statement. “I took lots of AP classes in high school. I loved learning — still do. I love watching movies and analyzing them for fun.”

Newt was shocked. Had he just met a kindred soul, another flower left to float in the salty sea with no nutrients to be had, nothing to sink their roots into? Another outsider, foreign to the people around them?

“I do that as well,” he told Tina with a smile, managing to look her in the eyes. “I watch nature documentaries and take notes. I love to study the behavior of animals. I find it  _ so _ much easier to understand than human behavior. I understand the science behind the behavior of animals, but I just can’t understand why people act in certain ways. For instance, the proliferation of rabbits is due to the fact that they not only have an extremely short life span — only two to three years — but are liable to perish because they fall prey to predators such as humans, foxes, raccoons — even cats and dogs. They’re also killed by vehicles, dehydration, starvation, and hypothermia. All of this means that the species had to adapt to survive, so rabbits can have several litters in a year, and can become impregnated only a few days after delivering a litter. Rabbits also reach sexual maturity after only six months. The death rate is much higher for them, so they mate often. But I don’t understand the human side of things. If it’s not to reproduce, then why—”

At that exact moment, he finally registered that Tina’s jaw was practically on the floor in shock at what he’d been talking about. But why? He was only talking about the reproduction of rabbits and how he, therefore, didn’t understand why people had sex if it wasn’t strictly to reproduce. What was the point? The purpose of sexual urges was to stimulate the reproduction of a species, so wasn’t it, therefore, going against nature to have sex and not reproduce? Wouldn’t it then be wiser to abstain until one was ready to have a child?

“Did I say something wrong?” Newt asked tentatively, hoping to win back whatever respect he had garnered before he botched everything.

“Well, um, not  _ exactly _ , just…” Tina started awkwardly, not looking him in the eye.

“I’m terribly sorry if I offended you in any way, I just have no filter on what I say. I truly don’t understand people. Um… I was diagnosed with Asperger’s when I was nine. I don’t look people in the eye, I’m terrible at reading social cues, I have  _ no _ friends…” he trailed off. “I’m terrible at communicating with people. Erm, to change the subject: what are  _ you _ majoring in?”

Tina answered after a moment of awkward hesitation. “Education.” She poked her food with her fork, appetite gone. “I wanted to go into Criminal Justice and become a police officer like my parents, but I was diagnosed with asthma when I was thirteen. So, you know, my childhood dream… down the drain. But I figure what with the teacher shortage here in America I’ll definitely get a job after I graduate. At least, I hope so.”

She looked at him pensively for a moment. “Do… you… have any… brothers or sisters? I have a younger sister named Queenie. She’s in New York City.”

“I have a brother,” Newt responded before drinking some water. “He’s eight years older than me and our parents refuse to tell us which of us was a surprise. He’s thirty now, but he’s still chasing a degree at Oxford Law School, and my parents are  _ so proud _ of him. They wanted me to go to Oxford Law School as well, but I decided against it. I hate office-like jobs.” He shuddered, and Tina gave a small smile. “They still send me gifts for Christmas and my birthday even though they don’t approve.”

Tina sighed and stared at her plate. “At least your parents care about you. I wish I knew if mine did. It’s just me and Queenie. Sorry — I don’t mean to be depressing.”

“No, please don’t apologize! You can tell me off for asking, but… what happened to your parents?”

“Um, well, if you’re really interested…” Newt nodded, making sure to look her in the eyes — that conveys trustworthiness, right? “Ok, well, um, they were at the precinct in Manhattan, working, filing reports and whatnot I think, when there was a 911 distress call. They responded to a shooting at a Walmart, and well, um, they got shot by the culprit. He had an automatic rifle.” She sniffed, scratching her nose, to hide the fact that is was because she’d started to tear up. “My parents really didn’t stand a chance as the first ones inside the store. They were wearing bullet-proof vests, but those don’t protect your face, do they? Shot in the skull, dead before they hit the ground.”

She looked away and wiped her tears from her eyes.

“In all those movies where the parents die, the kids are always like, ‘Oh, no! My parents are dead and the last thing I did was yell at them.’ Well, I guess I can’t complain, because the last thing I said to either of mine was ‘goodbye.’ I wonder a lot if they would be proud of me. You know, because I’m not really following my dreams if you understand?”

Newt was silent for a moment as he digested her story. “I… I don’t think I’m the right person to ask to ‘understand,’ but I think they’d be proud of you. I just — have this  _ gut feeling _ , you know? I feel like you’re — an extraordinary person? I’m really bad at articulating my feelings,” he admitted, looking away with a blush.

“Me, too,” Tina murmured, and she looked up at him with a small, watery smile. “Would you mind if I went to the bathroom to clean up?”

“Not at all. It’s to the right and through that door at the end of the hall,” he said, pointing, and she looked over her shoulder at the door.

“Thanks,” she managed to get out. She stood up and walked to the bathroom, leaving Newt to wish he was more articulate with emotions.


End file.
